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View Poll Results: Please read below before voting. How would you feel about receiving a newsletter?

Newsletter? Annoying or not?

Many of you probably know I am a Home Inspector and Appraiser in the Real World. I have always wanted to do a monthly newsletter to send to the Realtors and past clients. Just to keep my name in front of them so they remember to me and hopefully recommend me to their freinds. Problem is I don't have any great ideas to make the content interesting and besides it takes time to write, proof read etc.

Yesterday while doing some searching for marketing ideas I found a company that does this for you. They put out a nice looking newsletter. They coustomize it with my my info, photo, logo etc. Content looks good and the price is very reasonable.

So, if you would please tell me how you would feel about receiving this newsletter? REMEMBER, I have just inspected your new house. We have worked together and then you receive this in your email. You can Opt-out of course if you don't find it useful.

Last edited by Jeff Horton; 08-23-2007 at 12:59 PM.

God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.

jeff, as a homeowner who might use your services once or twice in my lifetime i`d find any e-mailing other than a single "thanks for your business" out of line...for the banking/mortgage crowd i`d think it would be more appropriate so long as you`re able to make it interesting and a quick read that doesn`t even remotely hint of "geeze i`d like more work guys".....something offered with no strings attached that proves entertaining or interesting or both would be appreiciated by most business folks...simply sign it jeff horton..don`t include business information....
my.02 tod

[edit] you added a poll as i was peckin`......none of the options where a blanket statement that fit my opinions so i didn`t vote.

Tod, I forgot to mention that the info in the newsletter appears to be very home owner oriented. It's not "begging for work". Of course there is small blurb/ad at the foot. This was brought to you by ......

I am going to request a couple of their past newsletters just to see what content is in there. But their sample looks good. More home owner oriented than for say a Realtor, but a smart Realtor (I think) would like to know as much as possible so it should be good for them too. And as much as I hate it, they are the main source of work.

God grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway,
the good fortune to run into the ones I do,
and the eyesight to tell the difference.

Bear in mind that your housing market is a mistery to me. As a homeowner, somebody who maybe makes use of a house inspector (which is kinda like a surveyor in our market I think) I would not be particularly interested. If the newsletter is about house inspecting, well I just had the only house I need inspecting inspected. On that basis you make it straight into the "What an annoying person" pile. If the newsletter is going to try and "cross sell" to me , well I want my house inspector to be solely motivated by inspecting houses. I don't want to think that the reason he told me some work needed doing was because he thought he or his brother-in-law could do the work for me.

As a realtor I may well be interested in somebody who reminds me that he is professional and knowledgeable, turns up on time to do the job and gives good unbiased inspection reports. If you wanted to do something aimed at the realtor, then maybe.

Do the newsletter company send you the copy and then you send (email??) it to your mailing list? Or do you send them your mailing list and they issue the newsletter? If the former, are you ready for the work? If the latter - do your customers know that you will be sharing their details with third parties? Do you have confirmation (that you trust) from the newsletter people that this information will not be misused and is secure?

I think this looks like one of those ideas that sounds better than it is. If it were me, and I was aiming at the homeowners, I would send a roundup approximately annually that quite honestly says something like "Hi folks - hope that your still happy in the home that I inspected for you but if your planning on moving in the next few months don't forget I'm here to help." I do not mind being sold to as long as the seller has made some effort to establish that I may have at least a slight need for his service/product.

This is a fairly recent one, talking about chilling wine. I like it as it is interesting, to the point and a quick read.

A LOT of the other stuff we get is not.

Jeff have you thought about calenders? Pick a topical one, like great old houses, and then have your company's name etc on each one on the boarder etc. I have found that my customers look forward to our calenders each year, they find them useful.

Just a thought.

Cheers!

The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.
William Arthur Ward

Jeff, what is the content of the newsletter? If it is about maintenance issues that would prevent some of the problems that you encounter, it may be interesting. If it is about home inspections, not so much. I am a Quality Manager in my "real" job and am often looked at as a necessary evil. I think Home Inspectors are probably viewed similarly, especially by the seller!

For me, it would just be another piece of junk mail that would go in the trash instantly. Plus, I don't believe your expense of producing and mailing this would bring you enough new, or return, business to justify the project.

"Folks is funny critters."

Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too. ~Voltaire

Jeff,
I'm one who will talk up a service or company I have dealt with. However I'm funny in that the license plate frame doesn't make it more than a mile from the dealership once I pick up a 'new' car or truck. I would peel off the sticker too, but I don't want to ruin the paint. It isn't Their Vehicle anymore it is Mine (and the bank's).

I used to work in direct mail as a customer service rep. I would think that an occasional (not monthly) newsletter would work, but don't go monthly. YMMV.

Jeff,
I would most likely opt-out. I get a few newsletters, but have them sent to a Hotmail account so they won't clutter my regular email. The newsletters I do get are ones I asked for, and not unsolicited.
I think Stu is on to something with the calender. It is something I can use and it works for the whole year.